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Official Barefaced Bass Cab Club

I have two BB2'S I use with my Mesa 800+. What do you like better about the Forte HP through the BB2'S?
The bb2 shows up what appears to be a deeper bass response in the HP, plus the horn tends to works nicely with the neutrality of the amp when set flat. Don't get me wrong, I could happily live with the Subway 800+ and it probably gets more use with the Two 10s as a rehearsal rig. Also , I feel that with a single bb2 at 8 ohms it is nice to have 600 watts available over the 400 into 8 ohms of the Subway, but that is just me. Tbe voicing of the hp seems to fit the bb2 better, whereas I prefer the voicing of the 800+ with the tens. Of course ymmv and both sound great either way.
 
Interesting observation as I too prefer my Mesa (800+) with my Two 10s but with the BB2 the Bergantino Forte HP is my preferred option.
Interesting, I had the 800+ and loved it with the BB2. When I got the WD800 it just sounded amazing through any of my cabs except the BB2. I gave it months but just couldn't dial it in to my liking. I had the Berg B Amp before I got the Two10s and it was awesome with the BB2. The WD800 just has everything I want in an amp and the tone is just incredible with the Two10s.
 
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The WD800 and Two10 is a great combo. Love it.
Yes, the D800+ is also awesome with the Two 10 ime. I suppose for my ears a simplified approach has been mesa with the tens and Berg forte HP with the twelves. Had to have some excuse to use both heads and I appreciate the the way I can combine the high and low pass filters, drive and compression on the HP with the tone controls flat to get a subtle tube drive. The HP definitely seems to have a weightier bottom than the Mesa, posibly due to the extra power available. The bb2 responds so well to tweaks, but the tens don't need much as their baked in character is exactly what I like. All that aside, my favourite Barefaced combo is my Aguilar DB751 into a Four 10.
 
Geez, you have the same cabs AND the same amp that I do and, based on your avatar, it looks you also play some kind of cherry burst bass?!?! Must be something in the water around here.


Ha! I guess you forgot I PM'd you about a year ago when it finally hit me that your screen name was the Marlton ZIP code. ;) :laugh: Yeah, looks like there are quite a few Barefaced owners around here.
That's actually an old pic. I sold the cherry Lakeland years ago. I play a Fender Elite Sun Burst now.
 
That's actually an old pic. I sold the cherry Lakeland years ago. I play a Fender Elite Sun Burst now.
Ah. But I applaud you still playing a burst. They're all I own (I also own a sunburst Franken Jazz that's missing in this picture)!

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^^^ I actually own and gig a Mesa Traditional Powerhouse 15 now and it's glorious in very way. Except for the size and weight - lol
i replaced my powerhouse 4x10 with a big twin II, and powerhouse 2x10 with a big baby II. im completely happy. i loved my mesa cabs but they struggled in areas the barefaced cabs don't. Deep bass and loud and clean without breaking up, better off axis sound, more natural sound lighter weight.
 
Possessing a MarkBass amp (4 ohm minimum) and 2 One10 cabinets, I was unsure how to go louder. If I bought another One10 or a Two10s then I would need to change amps, spend a tidy sum on a 2 ohm Mesa, Darkglass or Bergantino, or maybe a second MarkBass and bi-amp/stereo.

Then I saw a Super Midget on eBay and a Super Compact on Basschat.co.uk. I 'won' the Super Midget and bought the Super Compact. I had the vendor courier the super Midget to me, which was a mistake. It arrived damaged, I will have to change the tweeter as the horn seems to be cracked.

Now I have some options. The Super Compact and Super Midget together will go loud and I'm liking the sound. Compared to the One10s they are quite clean but still with plenty of lows. Best of all, I don't have to spend any money on a new head.

I'll decide whether to keep the 12s or sell them and buy the Two10s and a new head after I've gigged them but that won't be for quite a while, London is in 'Tier 3' lockdown, which means no rehearsals, let alone gigs!
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^^^ I actually own and gig a Mesa Traditional Powerhouse 15 now and it's glorious in very way. Except for the size and weight - lol
Of my three Mesa Cabs I have the 1x15 left which I agree is a superb cab. I did try selling it but didn't have any real interest. So I will try again in he new year and if that fails I will most likely remove the speaker and find some way to re-purpose the cab.
 
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Of my three Mesa Cabs I have the 1x15 left which I agree is a superb cab. I did try selling it but didn't have any real interest. So I will try again in he new year and if that fails I will most likely remove the speaker and find some way to re-purpose the cab.

I've been trying to live by a "one in one out" rule especially now that we've downsized and are moving around a bit. I wish the Mesa Trad PH was like 30lbs lighter ... that might just be the Subway 15!

I thought Barefaced made a 15? Discontinued I guess.
 
Hi! I'm looking for an FRFR cab that can be loud and available in Europe, so I'm leaning towards Barefaced. On the official website, the promo video states that the Big Twin 2 has more displacement capacity than an Ampeg 810 (1100 cc vs. <1000 cc). With 1600W RMS and 133dB, that seems huge. Any input on real world use?

Also, could a Big Baby II cope with a really loud drummer and two guitarists in a baritone drony-doomy-sludgy-metal setup?
 
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I have a One Ten and a couple of BB2s. The BB2s are much cleaner, but from what I have read that was the intention and result to keep the price down. Both cabs provide wonderful bottom end. Does the Mesa 800 amp color the sound at all? I have a GK MB500 that colors the sound. I also have a QSC-GX7/Alembic F-2B that does not color the sound. The sound from these two amps is much different through both the One Ten or BB2. For instance the One Ten is much cleaner sounding with the QSC/Alembic F-2B, while the BB2 has a little color added when using the GK amp. That's my take on it with my gear.
 
I have a One Ten and a couple of BB2s. The BB2s are much cleaner, but from what I have read that was the intention and result to keep the price down. Both cabs provide wonderful bottom end. Does the Mesa 800 amp color the sound at all? I have a GK MB500 that colors the sound. I also have a QSC-GX7/Alembic F-2B that does not color the sound. The sound from these two amps is much different through both the One Ten or BB2. For instance the One Ten is much cleaner sounding with the QSC/Alembic F-2B, while the BB2 has a little color added when using the GK amp. That's my take on it with my gear.
Which Mesa 800 are you referring to, there 4 of them and I'd say each one has their own color in different ways. I've owned the D800+ and the WD800. I'd say the WD has more tube coloring than the D800+ which I loved with the One10 or Two10s but didn't like the WD with the BB2. The D800+ was great with both but I just prefer the WD tone and mid controls.
 
mmbass21, I have not used the Mesa amps, was referencing them in response to the previous comments in general and wondering if they had any coloration. I was just attempting to relate my experience with colored vs. non-colored amps and their effects on tone for the barefaced cabs that I own.
 
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mmbass21, I have not used the Mesa amps, was referencing them in response to the previous comments in general and wondering if they had any coloration. I was just attempting to relate my experience with colored vs. non-colored amps and their effects on tone for the barefaced cabs that I own.
Gotcha, Mesa definitely does have some coloration. The only amps I can think of that don't are the Quilter bass block and maybe a Bergantino B Amp. I'm sure there's more than that but those are 2 other amps that I've owner before that were very transparent to me.
 
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circumference

There's a "night of the round table" joke in there.
Gotcha, Mesa definitely does have some coloration. The only amps I can think of that don't are the Quilter bass block and maybe a Bergantino B Amp. I'm sure there's more than that but those are 2 other amps that I've owner before that were very transparent to me.

I'd call the Quilter slightly colored based on my experience with it and a BB2. It rounds off the highs and makes them "polite." It's subtle and not terribly noticeable on clean sounds, but it took the teeth out of my distortion pedals. If I was looking for a bright and open top end, I'd look elsewhere.

I'd consider Genz. Demeter. Berg.
IME YMMV